What do cars without air bags and new homes without sprinkler systems have in common?

They both could go the way of the dinosaurs if New York decides to adopt new building codes.

As the state updates its codes according to recommendations set out by the International Code Council — an organization that develops model codes that municipalities can tinker with to find the best fit — mandating sprinkler systems in new single- and two-family dwellings is under consideration.

But with election season in full swing, action may not be swift, even as groups on both sides of the small yet potentially costly proposed change apply pressure on the state's Fire Prevention and Building Code Council.

On one side are firefighters, who say sprinklers will save lives of residents and rescue workers. Firemen's Association of the State of New York President James Burns said sprinkler systems are key for newer homes that use lighter-weight construction materials and are often stocked with items that burn quickly.

"In three to four minutes, houses are flashing over because of the heavy fuel load," he said. "They are collapsing on the ground before the fire service arrives."

Burns likened the systems to air bags in a car — and noted that no car salesman would give you the option of rolling off the lot without them.

On the other side are contractors, who while advocating for safety say the cost of installing new systems could wreak havoc on the housing market. State Builders Association Executive Vice President Lewis Dubuque used an automotive metaphor of his own, saying that while driving a Mercedes might be safer than driving an economy car, the state can't mandate citizens to purchase a luxury vehicle.

"People buy what they can afford," Dubuque said. "People that can't afford to buy homes with sprinklers, they're going to be moving into homes that (sprinkler advocates) admit are unsafe."

Stuck in the middle of the debate are homebuyers, who will pay at least a few thousand extra dollars extra to pay for sprinkler systems if the state accepts the new code.

Tom Kelly, owner of the Watervliet-based sprinkler system retailer Albany Fire Protection, said prices are far cheaper in places where there is a municipal water supply. But while costs per square foot might run closer to $1.75 in such communities, prices for homes elsewhere may increase by a dollar or more per square foot because of the need for a storage tank — usually one that can hold a few hundred gallons of water.

Kelly's estimates aren't far from what FASNY has estimated. But Todd Stewart of Burnt Hills' Stewart Construction — the immediate past president of the state Builders Association — said cost estimates could be far higher. While a 2,000-square-foot home might come with a sprinkler price tag of $6,000 ($3 per square foot), a basement would need sprinkler coverage as well, bumping up the square footage of the coverage area and driving the cost higher.

There is some precedence for the adoption of this piece of ICC's code, but it's limited: California and Maryland are the only states to have adopted some form of the provision. Other state legislatures have passed legislation that won't allow approval of such a code.

In Westchester County, the town of Greenburgh has a provision requiring all buildings constructed after Oct. 13, 1982, to have fire sprinkler systems. Burns said plenty of development has occurred in that suburb over the past 25 to 30 years, knocking aside arguments brought by opponents that the change would curtail development.

What the state will actually do is unclear. Stewart said he wouldn't expect Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow for a vote by the Fire Prevention and Building Code Council, part of the Department of State, until after election season so as to not have the issue clouding his campaign.

The Codes Council is expected to address the new slate of recommendations at its Aug. 20 meeting, according to the Department of State.

In the next few days, the governor will act on a far less controversial piece of legislation concerning sprinklers.

A bill passed this year and awaiting his approval would require residential contractors to provide home buyers with information about sprinkler systems, something Stewart and Dubuque said contractors support.